In an age when cities across the world are rediscovering the joy of walking, Shimla didn’t need reminding. It was built for it. The Mall Road was never just a stretch of tarmac; it was the city’s living room, where the rhythm of footsteps replaced the honk of horns, and strolling with an umbrella and jacket was a way of life. Walking wasn’t an afterthought here, it was the culture.

But the walker’s town is stumbling. What was once a paradise for pedestrians is now tripping over cars that creep into every nook and cranny. Drop-off passes double as overnight parking permits, and even sealed roads are no longer sacred. A town designed for shoes is being hijacked by wheels. And if the sidewalks are choking, the playgrounds are gasping. Grounds that once rang with cricket shots and the laughter of children have been swallowed by rows of parked vehicles. Instead of being the lungs of the town, these spaces are turning into parking lungs for cars. In Shimla today, the choice seems stark: a game of football, or another dozen SUVs. Guess who’s winning?

Continue reading “Himachal High Court Pulls Up Authorities Over Parking Chaos, Restricted Roads and Decline of Shimla’s Walking Culture” →